Post offices in line for awards

The Twatt post office is run from the back of a church

Three Scottish post offices are hoping to get a national stamp of approval after being shortlisted for the Best Post Office Awards.

Barnhill near Dundee has been nominated in the Above and Beyond category while Tarbolton, Ayrshire, has been nominated for its charity/community fundraising.

The Twatt post office in Orkney has been nominated as the most innovative branch.

The winners will be announced on 16 November.

At Barnhill post office, sub postmaster Frank McDonald, a trained first aider, has been praised for saving two lives.

The Best Post Office Awards provide an excellent opportunity for our customers to tell us which branches are the very best Alan Cook Post Office Ltd

He helped care for two elderly female customers who collapsed at his counter on separate occasions.

Tarbolton post office's sub postmistress Helen Smillie opens on Christmas Day to dispense festive cheer to locals, particularly those living alone.

She has also taken part in the London Marathon and the Edinburgh Moonwalk and has raised more than £1,000 for breast cancer.

The Twatt post office is run by Evelyn Grant from the back of the local church.

Hard work

Three winners of the Scottish heats will also go through to the national finals.

They are: Wester Hailes post office, Edinburgh, which was given the honour of Best Main Post Office in Scotland; the Thornwood post office, Glasgow, which won the award of Best Town and City Post Office in Scotland; and the Lismore Post Office, off Oban, which won the award of Best Rural Post Office in Scotland.

Alan Cook, managing director of Post Office Ltd said: "Post Office branches are at the heart of communities across the UK.

"They go to great lengths to offer a great service, in many cases going well beyond simply offering Post Office services - sometimes literally saving lives in the course of their working day.

"The Best Post Office Awards provide an excellent opportunity for our customers to tell us which branches are the very best, and also which ones go beyond the call of duty, in turn allowing us to recognise the hard work and commitment of our people in branches across the UK."